Someone To Hold
by miyuki-chan16
Summary: All Hinata wanted was for someone to hold her and say everything would be alright even though she knew no one would. So she was shocked when someone finally did. Sasuke is slight OC, rated M for later chapters. First story, be gentle.
1. Chapter 1: Cold

Someone To Hold

Complete Summary: She painted a smile to hide her sorrow, her eyes of pale lavender blinded by loneliness. All she wanted was for someone to hold her and say everything was all right, even though she knew no one would. So she was shocked when someone told her, "Hinata, can't you see everyone cares about you? Can't you see I've been right here to catch you when you fall, and to hold you?" Warning: Sasuke is slight OC

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters… though I wish I did.

Chapter 1: Cold 

Clouds were forming over Konoha. The wind began to pick up and weave through the trees. The clouds were threatening a heavy storm…but she didn't care.

Hinata was sitting near a small stream with white phlox growing on the banks. She came here often to let the setting soothe her with open arms. Here she could be consoled. Here she could be free to hide nothing.

Wet tears of intense sorrow streamed down her face. The memories of what happened earlier flashed in her mind like photographs.

FLASHBACK 

_Today's the day_,' Hinata thought, _today's the day I tell Naruto-kun how I feel.'_ She was walking confidently down the street as she neared the ramen shop. Her face lit up and turned a hint of red for she could already see Naruto's orange jacket. As she got closer, she noticed that he was not alone; Sakura was seated next to him. Then she heard the two talking, so she hid behind a wall, just within earshot.

Sakura was here because she got tired of Naruto asking her to come so she finally gave in. He was blabbing on and on about how great he was and how wonderful she was.

"Um, Naruto, what about Hinata-san?" she asked.

"Huh?" he responded, mouth full.

"How do you feel about Hinata-san?"

"Oh, Hinata-chan? Well I dunno."

"Well, then what do you think of her?"

"Um, well she's kinda pretty, I guess. She never gives up, so that's awesome…but she's quiet and doesn't really stand up for herself…. and she's kinda weird. She always acts strange around me. She's not really my type…but you are Sakura-chan!"

Sakura sighed and shook her head. _So much for trying to get Naruto to like Hinata-san,'_ she thought.

Hinata was already running now. The last thing she remembers is falling to her knees and her vision growing blurry. Her body had seemed to move on it's own. She turned a sharp corner and nearly ran into someone, but with her footwork, she easily avoided any contact and collision. The man just turned and watched her with doll-like eyes, black doll eyes. She continued running with those words in her head, his words.

END OF FLASHBACK 

_He's right,'_ Hinata thought, _I'm nothing like Sakura-san, she's so beautiful with her short, petal-pink hair and jade green eyes. She's smart and strong and the apprentice to Tsunade-sama. And me, what do I have? I'm shy and timid, not especially smart, and I'm too weak to become a good heir for my clan and,' _she looked at her reflection in the water. To anyone else, she would appear beautiful. They would see a young woman of seventeen with long, midnight blue hair, moon-cream skin, and pale lavender eyes. But she only saw a girl with long dark hair, sickly-pale skin, and horrible white eyes. _What would Naruto-kun every see in me?'_

Hinata's eyes were watery now. She was sitting next to a large rock on the bank of the stream. She wrapped her arms around herself as the tears fell. Realizing that no one would ever hold her, she screamed out a cry of despair. Weeping openly now, she leaned on the boulder and curried her head in her arms.

Waiting and hope death would claim her soon, she wept as hard as she could. She cried, she screamed, she groaned knowing no one would hear her, knowing no one would care.

Her heart was breaking as Naruto's words recited in her head. Hope was growing even more distant. Yet, in all her sorrow, in all her desperation, the one thing she wanted now was to feel warmth. The rain fell along with her tears and the wind whistled a soft turn. Not only was she trembling from sobbing, she was shivering from the cold as well. But it wasn't the weather that made her feel that way. The one source of warmth she had had now turned to ice. The ice of loneliness struck her heart. She never felt more alone…

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sasuke had followed Hinata all the way to the stream ever since she nearly ran into him on the street earlier. He had seen her eyes drop tears as she ran past him, so he was curious on why, or so he told himself seeing that he had nothing else to do. Now he watched the entire episode from start to finish. He had guessed that her tears had something to do with Naruto.

_Pathetic,'_ he thought. Disappointment and annoyance was written all over his face. Yet a string of guilt could be found in his eyes.

Her cries were heart wrenching. They hit him hard.

_I remember feeling that way',_ he thought, now looking empathetically at her, _my heart made that sound when my clan was killed. All the warmth in my life disappeared, and I guess her's just did too.'_

Hinata was weeping so hard that Sasuke wondered if it was possible to produce so many tears. He saw her trembling from her sobs. The uncaring Sasuke, at that moment, felt a little guilty.

Hinata was exhausted now. She had been crying so much that her eyes grew dry. She could feel her mind slipping father and farther. She went limp and her body grew heavy.

A sudden rustle in the leaves snapped Hinata's senses alert, but she didn't have the energy nor the will to care. Then she felt two surprisingly warm arms wrap around her ever so gently, yet firmly, turn her on her back. She could feel her eyes give way as she huddled to the warm body holding her bridal style. Before slumber claimed her, she had gazed into two, black stone-cold eyes, yet in themselves, gave off a certain softness.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

AN: Sorry for such a short first chapter. The next one will be longer, I promise. This is my first story, so please, be gentle. If you are going to flame, just be clean-cut and simple. Comments and replies are always welcome, I could use all the help I can get. By the way, phlox is a small flower that grows in bunches. This story is rated M but for later chapters, like, later later chapters, so, be patient, they are coming. Thank you for reading, ja ne!


	2. Chapter 2: In Your Eyes

AN: Thank all of you so much for your reviews. They really made me feel more confident to continue with this story. I hope you all enjoy the rest and where the story goes. The story will get lighter as it moves along, so it won't be as dark, remember, this is a romance. Also, most of Sasuke's dialog is in his head, he isn't saying most of it. Now, on with chapter two. 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 2: In Your Eyes 

Sasuke wasn't quite sure what he was doing when he saw Hinata grown stiff. His body moved on its own and lifted the weeping woman in his arms. He was a little worried about doing this, but when he felt her soften in his hold, he began to relax.

_Great, now what am I supposed to do?'_ he thought, _I can't very well leave her here…well, I would but that would leave a bad aftertaste…' _he started heading in the direction of his home. _I'll just take her back to my place seeing that I really don't want to deal with those Hyuuga's.'_

Once there, he attempted to leave her on the couch so he could get out of his wet clothes, but there was a little problem. Hinata was clinging onto him, as thought nothing else mattered. After struggling to get her off without rousing her, he signed and gave up.

_She's gonna need to get out of those clothes and into something warmer,_ he thought. He carefully laid her on the couch and pulled a blanket over her small body. He decided to try one more time for her to let him go so he could get them both dry clothes, but this time, he took a gentler approach. With his hand, Sasuke slowly caressed her cheek and arms.

_She's freezing,' _he thought as he continued. Her soft skin immediately softened and warmed to his touch. To his surprise, Sasuke found himself embracing the woman trying to warm her up. _Why am I doing this! I have to get some clothes!'_ He carefully pried himself from Hinata and stroked her cheek one more time, signaling he would be back.

After getting dressed, Sasuke looked in the mirror and saw a hint of a blush on his cheeks. He quickly tried to shake it off as he walked back to Hinata with one of his t-shirts and pants. Easy to say, he wasn't quite sure how he was going to do this.

Sasuke slowly pulled the blanket off Hinata trying not to wake her. He took one gulp and began to rid her of her clothes. First, Sasuke untied her pants and slowly pulled the clinging cloth off her skin. He then undid her jacket and took it off as well. Before leaving to dry the clothes, Sasuke looked at her. Hinata had long creamy-like legs and her bosom was wrapped tightly to her chest. Amazingly, neither the bandages on her chest nor her underwear had gotten wet, so he left those on. Sasuke could feel his own body getting a little hotter and his face getting red, so he walked away with her wet clothes after dressing her in his clothes as fast as he could.

He came back and put the blanket back on her. As he observed her more closely, Hinata had begun shaking again even though she was no longer in wet clothes or felt cold to the touch.

_That's odd_,' Sasuke thought as he sat down beside the couch. Even in deep slumber, Hinata looked as though she was about to cry again. Wondering what to do, Sasuke remembered how she reacted when he caressed her, so he carefully intertwined his hand with her small one. Almost instantly, she resumed to sleep peacefully, holding his hand tighter. The action surprised Sasuke, but it didn't shock him. So he remained that way, holding her hand.

If one were to happen to look upon them, one would think they saw a husband caring for his sick wife.

All through the night, Sasuke kept a close eye on Hinata. Occasionally he would remove a strand of hair from her face or tuck her in with the blanket every so often. But not once did he remove his hand from hers. During that time, he tried to remember all he could of the Hyuuga heiress. Not much came to mind other than what he already knew. His past time was finding himself gazing at her. Sasuke had given up trying to keep himself from doing it because he would only find himself doing it again. He studied every inch of her body that he could see. And as much as he tried, Sasuke couldn't bring himself to dislike the woman.

Sasuke found Hinata to be much prettier than Sakura. Not only did he find her attractive, he thought that she was very agreeable and sweet. Though, he wouldn't say that he liked her either, or at least, not like that, yet. He gazed at Hinata so gently, so softly, that it could easily be mistaken for lovingly. The two remained that way, Hinata in peaceful slumber and Sasuke's eyes growing softer by the minute looking at her, all through the night.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Dreams. Such a fragile thing. Easily turned into nightmares. But if intended, could return to a dream.

DREAM SEQUENCE 

It was dark. No light could be found as far as the eye could see. Hinata was lying on the floor naked and unconscious. A voice said something and she fluttered her eyes open.

"Where am I?" she said shakily. She looked around and tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness. "H-hello, is anyone there?" Hinata asked to the emptiness. Her only response was a sudden chill she felt in the air that made her shiver. Hinata began to worry, so she activated her Byakugan, but nothing was there, not a thing. "I'm all…alone…" she spoke to herself.

Hinata slumped back onto the floor. Cold tears began to stream down her face. _Someone, please, help me,_ 'she thought, _Naruto-kun…he's not coming…no one will…' _Large, liquid crystals were falling from her pale eyes as she looked at her shaking body. In that moment Hinata felt all hope was lost.

Time went by…minutes turned to hours and hours went by slowly. Still, no one came, no one came to save her from her loneliness. Hinata's eyes began to dim with despair.

Then, out of the black darkness, a warm body wrapped itself around her, Hinata looked up and didn't see the person, but felt him. The person was holding her close and tight, as if coaxing her to relax. Hinata began to soften in the embrace. She then felt a hand intertwine with hers and lifted her to her feet. The two were walking in a direction that Hinata hadn't noticed: it shone a small light that got brighter as they got closer. Hinata noticed that her small petite hand fit perfectly in the other.

As they got closer, Hinata noticed that it was a man that was leading her out. The two stepped into the light and despite the brightness; she tried to make out what he looked liked. He stopped, still held her hand, and turned to face her. All she saw were night's soft eyes.

END OF DREAM SEQUENCE 

The first rays of sunlight beamed through closed blinds. A few birds were singing a morning tune. Hinata slowly opened her drowsy eyes.

_What a strange dream_, she thought, _I wonder who that man was…' _Hianta's vision became clearer, _Tou-san will be angry since I was out so late…wait,'_ she began to notice her surroundings. _Wasn't I outside?'_ She then noticed that she was inside a very well kept room. _Where am I! I can't remember!'_ She looked down, _and where are my clothes? These aren't mine! What's going on!'_ Hinata began to panic and she sat straight up.

She was looking around the room when her eyes fell upon a certain emblem; it was a painting of the red Uchiha fan.

_So…' _she wondered, _I'm in Sasuke-san's house?'_ At that moment, she noticed that something was in her hand. Hinata lifted her hand to find a larger one in its grasp. She followed the hand up the arm and looked at the owner with a shocked face.

There, holding Hinata's hand, was a fast asleep Sasuke. He had only fallen asleep a few hours ago since he stayed up all night watching her. His head was rest in his arms, which, in turn, were on the couch.

_Sasuke-san looks so different,'_ Hinata thought, _he looks so, so calm and peaceful, like a small child.'_ Hinata had a small smile on her face now, _demo, why is he holding my hand so intimately?' _ She pondered, and then it hit her.

Hinata remembered that before she fell asleep, she saw two black eyes. _That must have been him! He must have brought me here and took care of me! Demo, that's so unlike Sasuke-san…' _Hinata looked back at him, and then at their hands. _I have to thank him somehow,' _she pondered, _I know!'_

Hinata pulled the blanket off herself as she slung her feet over the side of the couch. She tried to release Sasuke's grip from her hand, but he just squeezed tighter. Hinata smiled and blushed a little. She then place her other hand over theirs. Slowly his grip on her loosened and she carefully pulled out her hand.

Hinata then took the blanket and placed it over his shoulders. She then turned her head to another room.

_That must be the kitchen.'_ Hinata took one last look at the sleeping Sasuke, smiled, and then headed for the kitchen.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_What's that smell?…it smells, good?…' _ thought Sasuke. He slowly opened his eyes to look around without moving, and then closed them again…then with a jolt, he opened them again.

_Where is Hinata-san?'_ he thought (he gave up calling her Hyuuga-san). Then he heard the soft sound of footsteps behind him, so that answered his question.

Hinata walked into the room with a tray in her hands and placed the contents on a low table. Sasuke turned his head to look at her. Hinata blushed a little.

"O-ohayou gozaimas-su…" she squeaked. Sasuke looked at her lazily.

"Did you go into my kitchen?"

"Um, h-h-hai…"

"You went, into my kitchen…"

"H-ha-hai…" Hinata began to worry, "I j-just w-wa-wanted to-to do something…"

"Something's burning," he cut in non-chalantly.

"Hhmmm?" Hinata strived to listen when she head a feint whistle, "Oh no! The tea!" she quickly put the tray down and rushed to the kitchen.

The entire time, Sasuke had been looking into her eyes. He was amused that he was able to see the sequence of her emotions through her eyes. He noticed that her pale lavender eyes could scarcely hide anything if one would just stop and look. What he didn't see was that she was doing the exact same thing.

Though she was afraid at first, Hinata began to relax when she read his eyes. She could tell that he wasn't upset in the least, just, wondering. She saw something in him that she never noticed before. When he turned to look at her, Sasuke's eyes didn't seem like the lifeless, doll-eyes she once thought them to be, when he looked at her, his eyes became much softer. It made her wonder why…

Hinata returned with two cups and a teapot. Sasuke was already eating the breakfast she had cooked.

_This is…good…' _he thought as he continued to eat.

"I h-hope it's okay…I-I m-mean the t-ta-taste," she whispered.

"Hn," he replied.

So breakfast went by silently and slowly. Neither of them spoke because they didn't know what to say to the other. When Sasuke and Hinata had finished, she picked up the dishes and cleaned them quickly. When she came back, Sasuke was still sitting there looking at her.

"A-anou, "Hinata started, she looked questionable at Sasuke, he quirked his eyebrow up.

"Nani?" he said coldly.

"A-arigatou…for, for…"Hinata trailed off, she didn't even know how to properly thank him.

"Don't worry about it, it was nothing," he snapped slightly, rolling his eyes. He then noticed that Hinata hung her head down a little. "Just, I suggest you don't go crying so hard that you pass out." He sighed; he didn't want her crying again, especially because of him, "Besides, that dobe's not worth crying over." Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say.

Hinata suddenly remembered Naruto and what happened yesterday. Her eyes slowly started to get watery until she couldn't hold it anymore. The heavy tears fell from her already slightly puffy eyes and hit the floor. She desperately tried to stop them, but to no avail. This did not go unnoticed by Sasuke. Hinata quickly tried to wipe her tears from her face.

"Go-gomen. I, I c-can't s-seem t-to m-m-make it st-stop. Puh-please excuse m-my r-ru-r-rudeness"—was as far as she got.

Before Hinata could finish her sentence, Sasuke stood up in front of her, reached out with one hand, and pressed her head to his chest…

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

AN: Okay, so it was slightly longer. Funny how writing takes up so much more space than typing. Just for the record, Hinata does not stutter that much all throughout the story, just when she is nervous, embarrassed, upset, etc… And the whole questioning about going in the kitchen, he was just confirming that she was in there. Please R&R.


	3. Chapter 3: Please Allow Me

Chapter 3: Please Allow Me 

Hinata felt completely confused. Sasuke was really trying to comfort her, in his own way.

"Listen, I'm, gomen nasai… It was, pretty stupid what I said, just forget it," Sasuke whispered, staggering to get the foreign words out for the first time. Hinata made a silent gasp.

_Is he?… He really is trying to cheer me up,'_ she thought, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"You can cry if you want, if it'll make you feel better. Just, please don't, don't… Ah Hell, I don't know!" he raised his voice slightly. _I don't know how to make someone feel better! Let alone a woman!'_ he cursed himself. Sasuke thought he sounded ridiculous.

Hinata, to simply put it, was shocked. _He, doesn't want to see me cry? That's… how… I'm so…'_ she thought while she buried her face in his shirt.

Sasuke felt Hinata's tears seep through his shirt, and he began to worry.

_Ah, what did I do now!'_ he panicked. After closer inspection, he realized that she was smiling, and, laughing. Hinata lifted her face to look at Sasuke.

"Sumimasen, Sasuke-san. It's just, your w-words, they surprised me is all," she spoke, giggling every once and a while, "no one's actually c-cared about me in a lo-long time… So, thank you." She continued to giggle and cry not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy.

Sasuke gave her a confused look, but none-the-less, let her cling to him. They remained this way for a few minutes. Sasuke was slightly embarrassed because he had never been in a situation like this before. He waited 'til Hinata was done crying before he spoke.

"Y-you know," he started, looking off to the side, Hinata lifted her face slightly, "You can always come here if you, um, need s-someone to talk to. I-if you want, you could come here whenever you want, you'll never be, er, unwelcome?… Cuz, uh, I d-don't mind if you don't, you, you get it, right?" Sasuke had ceased to blush, he was serious.

Hinata looked up at him while she gasped. She searched his eyes for any lie, but she found none. _He, is he, would he?'_ she pondered.

"R-really?" she asked, her voice a little shaky.

"Yea…" he answered truthfully.

She looked back down, and then lifted her face again.

"T-then, do you m-mind if I come everyday?" she questioned.

"I don't see a reason why you can't."

Hinata's eyes lit up.

"Alright, well, I h-have to get home now or else I'll b-be in a lot of tr-trouble," she said

She quickly let go of Sasuke. He merely watched her walk away to get her clothes. Hinata speedily dressed out of his clothes and into her now clean ones. She walked back into the room to find Sasuke still standing while she headed towards the door. Before leaving, she turned around.

"Anou," she started, then bowed, "arigatou gozaimasu, for, everything, I can't th-thank you enough," and then she headed out.

Even after a few minutes had gone by, Sasuke was still looking at his closed door. He then slowly opened the door and walked out, heading for the training grounds.

_What did I just do?'_ he asked himself, _I can't believe what I just did… Demo, I never want to see anyone cry like that again, the sound of deep despair… Hinata-san, if you will allow me, I can, I'm not even sure, date, I know the same pain, even if not for the same reason, I, I can help… I'm becoming soft, aren't I?…'_ he thought, then smirked ironically at himself. Yet, a voice in his head, one that was always overpowered before, responded by saying, _So? Who cares? It's nice not being alone, isn't it?'_

"Hn…" he remarked, "yea, yea I guess it is…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

AN: Gomen nasai! I'm so sorry for the short chapter and i know its been so long since i've update, i'll see if i can update the next chapter tomorrow okay? The next one is much longer, I swear! This chapter didn't seem to need anymore, so that's why it's so short. Sasuke will be the one to progress more on his feelings than Hinata in the next chapter. Please R&R. Ja ne!


	4. Chapter 4: Will Things Ever Be Normal?

Chapter 4: Will Things Ever Be Normal Again?

Two weeks had passed since the encounter between Hinata and Sasuke. During that time, Hinata came every morning to make Sasuke breakfast, which went quietly at first, but the two were able to hold small conversations with time. Sasuke had almost grown accustomed to seeing her every morning because she always came at 6:30 am sharp.

He rather enjoyed her company although outwardly, it was hard to tell. He learned more about what happened during the time he left Konoha and things like that. But he was more interested about the things Hinata said that were about her.

Hinata told Sasuke about how she felt most of the time or her feelings towards her family. She had been hesitant at first, but she remembered that he too had been raised in a powerful clan, so she didn't have too much of a problem opening up to him. He always listened intently too and gave his own impression or opinion, so it made Hinata feel like she truly had someone to talk to, someone who understood… even though his responses were normally few word sentences.

One morning, Sasuke got up and automatically opened his front door, expecting Hinata to already be there, ready to knock… only, she wasn't there. Sasuke looked around and started to worry.

_Where is Hinata?'_ he thought (during the two weeks, he called her by more familiar terms). _She's never late, did something happen to her!'_ he sneered at the thought of anyone hurting Hinata. His eyes turned blood red and he raced into the Village.

Sasuke ran through the streets without acknowledging anyone, not to even stop and glare at his fan-club girls. He ran in the direction of the Hyuuga mansion. When he got there, he tried to remember the way Hinata described where her room was in her stories, so he started around the estate. When he came to her room, he looked through the window.

There, lying peacefully was a sleeping Hinata. Inwardly, Sasuke sighed with relief. He quietly climbed through her window and stood by her side, just watching her.

_So, she's just asleep,'_ he thought as he deactivated his Sharingan, _I guess coming to my place every morning to make breakfast wore her out.'_ He gazed at her as she slept. _I happen to always catch her while she's sleeping, don't I?'_ he pondered, _Only this time, she hasn't wept herself to sleep. I wonder…'_ Sasuke removed a strand of Hinata's hair from her face and observed her face.

Hinata's skin seemed to have a soft glow in the morning's first rays. Her hair was soft and pooled around her. She turned contently in her slumber and a small smile appeared on her face. Sasuke's eyes opened a little while he looked upon her sleeping figure.

_I, I never noticed that she…'_ he thought. He, without his knowledge, was slowly inching towards her face with his. Within a few moments, his face was hovering just above hers. Sasuke could feel her warm breath brush his lips.

_Kami, what is this that I'm feeling!'_ his head screamed. He was already beginning to climb on top of her. Yet still, beneath him, Hinata was soundly sleeping not knowing what lay above her.

His lips were so close to hers now that his senses forcefully told him to capture her lips. Right when he was about to give in, Hinata whispered something almost lovingly that caught him off guard.

_I, I can't take this any longer!'_ he mentally screamed at himself. He could feel his temperature rise and his cheeks grow red. But more alarming to him, he was beginning to arouse. The feel of Hinata beneath him, soft and warm, was increasing his sensuality, and it half-frightened him. As much as _his body_ wanted her, here and now, _he_ didn't want it to be like this. It made him feel disgusted with himself. Sasuke wanted to do this, but he wanted to do it the right way, with a willing Hinata.

In a sort of leap, Sasuke silently got off of Hinata rather quickly. As he headed back towards her window, he turned to get one more look.

_Obviously, being near her like this, I just want to take her… but is it just lust? Or do I actually,'_ he gulped at the thought, _do I actually love her?'_ he thought. _Of course not! What was I thinking! I really don't, I really, don't, I really d-don't, I, I really…'_ he mentally slapped himself, _I need to get out of here!'_

As he raced out of her room, the word she spoke in her sleep repeated in his head

FLASHBACK 

As Sasuke leaned in to kiss Hinata, she whispered something almost lovingly.

"… Sasuke-kun…" she said with a subtle, sincere smile.

END OF FLASHBACK 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It had been about six hours since Sasuke was in Hinata's room. During that entire time, Sasuke was at the training grounds trying to beat the morning's events from his mind. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday, so the hunger only increased his temper.

_Insane! That's what this is! Everything is completely insane!'_ he cursed himself, _What if I had actually done something… to her! Ugh, I don't even want to think about what all the Hyuuga would do to me!'_ he continued punching the wooden post, which was already crushed into many splinters. _I cant believe myself! I really am a teme!'_

While was destroying the wooden post, hungry eyes stared at him from behind a bush. The sudden rustle in the leaves caused Sasuke to activate his Sharingan and he threw a kunai with dead accuracy at the bush. For a while, nothing happened, until the figure stepped out from behind the bush.

"Hi Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed, spinning the kunai around her finger. She walked right up in front of Sasuke who was glaring at her.

_I really don't have time for this,'_ he thought.

"Um, I was wondering Sasuke-kun…" she started.

'_Now what!'_ he was growing impatient.

"… If we could… uh, talk?"

Sasuke looked at her as if she suddenly had grown two heads. _'N-nani?'_

"Hn…" he answered her.

She then sat on the ground and gestured him to do the same, but he remained standing.

"Look Sasuke-kun, I think I know the problem in our relationship," she said seriously.

_Excuse me?… Our, relationship,'_ he thought, one eye twitching, _what relationship?'_

"Why it hasn't started yet," she continued, "and I think it's because of, Naruto," she looked up at him while he remained silent. Sakura took this as him silently agreeing with her when in actuality, he was struggling not to get nauseous. "I was thinking that, if we could get Naruto to like someone other than me, he might leave us alone so we could be together… And I was thinking, we could get him to like, Hinata-san."

When Sasuke heard Sakura mention Hinata, he nearly fell over.

_That dobe with… Hinata!'_ he thought, _Well, NO!'_

"No," his voice held in most of how he felt and thought.

"…No…" Sakura repeated, "Why not?"

"Sakura, you're my friend, I respect that, but that's all you'll ever be to me," he said sternly.

"See, that's my point!" Sakura stood up, "You don't want to hurt his feelings because he's your best friend. He's between us, and I care for Naruto, I really do, but I want to be closer to you!" Sakura threw herself at Sasuke and buried her head in his chest.

Sasuke kept completely still. He didn't hold her or even push her away. He merely, stood there.

"Sasuke-kun, please, onegai…" she mumbled out.

"Sakura," he tried to say a little softer, "I'm sorry. But I'll never be the man you want me to be."

Sakura's hands slowly, almost reluctantly, began to fall to her sides. She lifted her head off his chest and took a step back. She let him go. Sakura kept her head down to hide her falling tears.

"Sayonara…" she whispered, and then she ran off.

Sasuke looked in the direction she took off briefly, then returned to training. He felt a little bad at first, but he only saw her as a comrade and a good friend, nothing else.

"The, the one I care for is"—he started.

"Sasuke-kun?" a small voice called out.

Sasuke turned around to see Hinata. She had just arrived and was holding a basket.

"Um, I thought that y-you would be getting a little tired of m-my breakfast everyday, s-so, I thought I could m-make you lunch instead today," she replied softly, blushing slightly, "You weren't home, s-so I thought you'd b-be here at the training grounds. I g-guess I was right," she giggled softly.

"Hn," he began, "so that's why I'm so hungry," he joked.

Hinata giggled again causing her heart to beat a little faster.

"Gomen, Sasuke-kun, I should have t-told you before," she said light-heartedly. "Since we're outside, I thought that we could h-have a picnic," Hinata laid down the things. Sasuke walked over and sat down and they began to eat.

Hinata began talking about the strangest dream she had last night where she was with a man and how he softly moved a strand of hair from her face, the way lovers do. Hinata blushed when she came to that part and Sasuke almost choked on his tea and looked away knowing that he had done that last night, or rather, this morning. During her entire story, Hinata couldn't stop smiling and softly giggling. Sasuke found these to be a few of her other "cute" traits, like how she has almost completely gotten over her stutter or her trademark blush.

When the two were done with lunch, a familiar loud voice rang out. Sasuke cringed.

_Why does **HE** have to come, now of all times,'_ he thought as Naruto burst from the surrounding bush.

"Oi, teme, did Sakura-chan come through here?" Naruto asked, "Oh, hi Hinata-chan!"

Hinata slightly gasped and her eyes grew a bit wider. During the past two weeks, whenever she so as much saw a glimpse of Naruto, Hinata would head in the opposite direction. Now she was here, face to face with Naruto. Hinata felt numb all over; not sure if she would start crying or start blushing. She just stood there in shock.

Sasuke half-stepped in front of Hinata so he stood between her and Naruto. He didn't want to see her hurt because of his best friend.

"Konnichi wa, Naruto-kun," Hinata said with a straight face, and without blushing no less. Sasuke turned and looked at her with surprised eyes. Hinata was smiling, but not a smile of excitement, but one of kindness, small, but still.

Naruto was staring at Hinata with curiosity, and tilted his head a little. Hinata was looking at him straight in the eye as well. The two remained this way for a few moments and Sasuke was getting a little annoyed.

"Sakura ran back to the Village," Sasuke said, trying to cut into their silent moment.

"Huh? Oh, thanks teme!" Naruto started heading towards the Village, when he stopped and turned around, "And Hinata-chan."

"M-yes?" she answered.

"You look real pretty when you're not busy looking at the ground," he said kindly.

Sasuke clenched his fist. His eyes kept flashing red. He looked like he was about to pounce on Naruto.

_Now she'll never get over you, you dobe! You're just gonna make things worse,'_ he mentally yelled at Naruto.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled without blushing at all from his complement.

_Nani? She's not, not blushing, or stuttering, and she actually responded with a straight face!'_ Sasuke thought, he was in awe.

"Well, ja ne!" Naruto called back as he ran back towards the Village.

Sasuke turned to face Hinata and tried to see if she was alright. Hinata remained staring in the direction Naruto took from, thinking.

"Daijobu des ka?" he asked her. Hinata took a deep breath, and then exhaled again.

"Hai, I'm fine," she replied back and smiled at Sasuke. She picked up the basket and turned her back toward him.

_Naruto-kun, will never truly love me, not the way I wanted him to… and, I'm okay with that. I can never fill that place in his heart, I know that now. But now, I can move on, past that silly crush. It's hard, and it hurts, but I know I can do it, I wont give up,'_ she thought. Unknowing to her, Hinata had started to tremble.

Sasuke looked at Hinata and saw her shaking. He knew that the weather was warm, so there was no way she could be cold. Hinata looked as though she was taking the deep breath before the plunge, before the battle. He wanted to do something for her, so that she would know that she wasn't alone in this, that he was right here. He wanted to do that with his entire being.

Hinata wasn't sure how long it would take or even how hard it would be, but she knew she was going to get over Naruto, no matter how long or hard, she had to do this. If she couldn't, then she'd never be able to move on. Yet her words gave her no comfort. She felt alone in a battle that could go either way, she needed someone to help her, to hold her and wish her luck, or something at least, she just needed someone. Suddenly, two, strong arms wrapped around her small body from behind.

Sasuke couldn't think of anything to do for her but hold her. That was the only way he could think of that would comfort her. As he held her in his arms, he noticed that, in a way, she fit perfectly in his embrace. He wrapped himself more around Hinata as if to protect her, protect this fragile woman.

Hinata felt him hold her. It didn't feel awkward, but normal, like she belonged here, here in his arms. Here, she felt safe, and wanted, welcomed. She lightly grabbed one of his arms and pulled it tighter over her. The two stayed this way for a few minutes.

"Now, are you sure you're alright?" Sasuke asked softly.

"Right now, yes. And I, I know I will be, soon," she replied back, "Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

"Will things ever go back to the way they were? Will things ever be normal again?" she turned to face him while not leaving his hold.

"… I'm not sure, maybe…" he responded. _All I know, the one thing I am sure of, is that I don't want you to be alone, or sad. I want you to smile, to be happy throughout the days,'_ Sasuke thought as he held her even tighter, _Hinata-hime, ai, Aishteru.'_

Unknown to both heirs, a pair of brown eyes were watching intently on the scene before her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

AN: Wow, I'm tired… I don't think I've ever typed so much in my life, oh well. Who do you think was spying on them, should be pretty obvious… Next chapter is going to be kinda, probably real short, k? And for the record, I don't hate Sakura; I just don't like her with Sasuke is all. Please R&R, ja ne!


	5. Chapter 5: So?

Chapter 5: So?

_Why? Why doesn't Sasuke-kun like me? I mean, I've always loved him. I've tried so hard to become more appealing. But, he doesn't notice… All he really sees is just a comrade and friend. Maybe I'm still the annoying, forehead girl, maybe I'll always be that girl…'_ Sakura was wandering the streets of Konoha. She was still thinking about her encounter with Sasuke.

The people on the streets would occasionally say hi, but their greetings fell on her deaf ears. Right now, all she could think of was her own hopelessness. There was no particular direction she was headed in, and while she was walking, Sakura bumped into someone.

"Oh, sumimasen," she apologized.

"Sakura-san?"

Sakura looked up and realized she had bumped into Lee.

"Uh, Lee-san?" she blurted out with surprise.

"Sakura-san, are you alright?" he asked, his eyes full of concern, "What made you walk with such sadness?"

"Oh, nothing," she dully lied. Lee looked at her and knew she wasn't speaking the truth.

"Sakura-san. You do know that if there is ever a problem, you can always tell me, I'll help out as much as I can," he said with determination. Sakura looked at Lee and saw something she never really noticed before.

_What? What's this that…'_ she thought as she saw who he was, who Rock Lee was, not just his appearance.

Lee could sense that Sakura wanted to tell him, like somehow, she needed someone to talk to, right now.

"Here, let's go someplace where we can talk, then you can tell me what's bothering you so much, if you want to of course," he said and lightly grabbed her hand and pulled her to walk with him.

The two came to a small clearing in the forest. There was a fallen log on the ground. Lee sat Sakura down on the log, and then he sat down beside her.

"So?…" he asked. At that moment, Sakura broke down into tears.

She told him the entire story. From the time two weeks ago with Naruto, to when she first started liking Sasuke, to when she saw Sasuke earlier and ended with what Sasuke told her. During that time, Lee would occasionally put his arm over her and gently rock her, and sometimes she would cling onto him tightly. Lee waited until he was absolutely sure that Sakura was finished before he spoke.

"Maybe I'm still a little, ugly forehead girl!" Sakura cried out, "If I could change, maybe… then, maybe"—

"Of course you're not," Lee spoke soothingly, rocking her in his arms, "and we all love you the way you are now. You don't need to change one bit."

"Demo"—

"If Sasuke can't find a way to love you, then that's his own fault for not finding one of the many reasons to love you. There's not one fault I see in you, Sakura-san."

Sakura stared at Lee wide-eyed and surprise written all over her face. She gazed into his eyes with disbelief.

_I, never really thought he meant what he said every time he told me he loved me… Why didn't I ever notice that before?'_ Sakura thought.

Lee looked deep into Sakura's eyes and did all that he could to show her that he was telling the truth. He wanted her to know how much he loved her.

"Sakura," Lee boldly said softly. Sakura's eyes started to water. Her heart, gradually, began to beat faster.

"Lee-kun!" Sakura cried out and back into Lee's arms. _I've been so blind, I'm so sorry… You've always been here for me, supporting me, watching over me… thank you…'_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hinata was walking back toward the training grounds after she dropped off the basket at home. As she got closer, she heard someone training and the clink of metal. When she reached the grounds, Hinata saw Tenten.

Tenten was working on her weaponry skills when Hinata walked in on her. Once she spotted Hinata, a sly grin came on her face. Hinata took a big gulp; she was worried about what Tenten was thinking.

"K-konnichi wa, Tenten-san," Hinata said shakily. Tenten suddenly stopped training and pulled Hinata to sit down on the ground with her.

"So!…" Tenten said excitedly.

"… So?…" Hinata repeated in a confused tone.

"So is there a certain someone in your life? You know you can always tell me."

"No? But, um, I don't really understand?" Hinata didn't have the faintest idea what Tenten meant.

Tenten sighed, "I'm talking about Uchiha Sasuke!" she half-yelled out, "Is something going on between you two?" Tenten really wanted to know.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun? No, he's j-just one of my good friends, like you Tenten-san," Hinata explained.

"Really?" Tenten didn't believe her, "maybe you might not think that way about him, but I'm pretty sure he feels that way about you!"

"Nani!" Hinata started to blush, just think about how Sasuke felt about her made her heart pound, "Why would you think th-that he l-li-l-likes me," she trailed off. Tenten gave her another sly smile.

"Because I saw you guys holding each other earlier today," Tenten started, "You looked so relaxed in his arms, and he looked as though he would never let you go, like he was afraid that he'd lose you forever. That's what I saw," Tenten giggled.

Hinata started getting red and she began to feel her temperature rise. Sure, she liked Sasuke, as a dear friend. _But is that all?'_ Hinata questioned herself. When she remembered how Sasuke held her and spoke so gently in her ear, Hinata's heart felt like it was about to burst and thoughts of Sasuke entered her mind. _Wha? What's happening to me?'_ she thought, _When I liked Naruto-kun, my heart didn't beat this fast or hard… So why's it happening when I think of Sasuke-kun?'_ All of Hinata's mixed emotions were visible on her face.

When Tenten saw this, she put her hand on Hinata's shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out," Tenten smiled, "In the meantime, keep me updated, okay?"

Hinata was still thinking of Sasuke and didn't even notice Tenten walk away. She remained on the ground with her hand on her heart, her face still bright red.

_Sasuke-kun…'_ she thought. Hinata's chest felt so tight, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to breathe anymore. _What's going on?'_ her temperature kept rising.

"I-I, need to train," she quickly said to keep her mind concentrated on something else.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sasuke had moved to a nearby river, stripped himself of his clothes, and walked in.

_I need to cool off,'_ he thought. He was wading in the shallow part of the river and let his mind wander. Thoughts of Hinata haunted every corner of his mind. The way she smiled, laughed, whenever she'd blush, the sound of her voice, everything, he couldn't get her out of his mind.

_I want to be closer to her,'_ he said to himself, _but… I don't want to scare her away either.'_ Sasuke shook his head. He started getting hot and dizzy just thinking about her. His "cool down" wasn't working very well.

_Now what am I supposed to do?'_ he thought, _How can I tell her how I feel? Do I try and have her feel the same way about me? Or do I watch idly by and try to make her happy instead?'_ Sasuke was in a rut he had never been in before. He was wandering further and further into a maze he never thought he'd explore. Sasuke was falling in love, and he had no idea what he should do.

His heart was thumping in his chest and he grew short of breath. Just then, breaking his train of thought, Sasuke heard a splash behind a huge boulder that almost divided the river in half. Stealthily, Sasuke peeked over the side of the rock and gasped… Hinata was on the other side, and she was naked.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

AN: It's a semi-cliffy. You all can probably guess what's gonna happen next. Next chapter I guess can be called a lime, I really wouldn't say so, but that's me. It's also semi-short, so, don't hate me. Please R&R and I'll see you next chapter, ja ne!


	6. Chapter 6: Close Encounters

Chapter 6: Close Encounters 

Hinata had trouble keeping focus, so she came to the river to work on her technique. But when she felt the cool water rush over her, Hinata had forgotten why she originally came to the river for. The water relaxed her hot, tense muscles and relieved her stress. She was still thinking about Sasuke and how she felt about him.

_Is he just a dear friend to me? Or do I care for him more?_ She wondered. Hinata was so lost in thought; she didn't even hear Sasuke behind her.

Now the two were standing in the water, so Sasuke just walked up behind Hinata. He was so captivated by her beauty, he felt intoxicated. The water came up to her waist and to his hips. Her back was smooth and Sasuke wanted to reach out and touch her to see if she was real, to see if he was dreaming. Instead, he held himself back and walked around in front of her.

For a few moments, Hinata didn't see Sasuke until he spoke.

"Must be pretty important for a Hyuuga to not even notice my presence," he smirked. Hinata gasped with surprise.

"S-Sa-Sasuke-kun!" she squeaked out. Curiosity getting the better of him, Sasuke's eyes wandered over her bare body.

His eyes took in everything they saw. It was true; he had seen her almost completely naked, but seeing her now was a whole new experience for him. For instance, he noticed that her chest was more ample than she let on for she always wrapped them so tightly. Unconsciously, Sasuke took an audible gulp that snapped Hinata from her shock; she quickly covered her chest defensively with her arms.

"W-where d-did you come fr-from, Sasuke-kun?" she managed to speak aloud, trying to avoid the situation she was in. As she spoke, she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. His chest and abs weren't bulky, but lean and toned. Hinata was struggling to keep her eyes from wandering any lower than that.

Sasuke noticed that Hinata was looking at him the same way he had looked at her. When Hinata looked back into his eyes, she saw… _amusement?' _she thought. He smirked again.

"Like what you see?" he eyed her. Hinata looked away without saying anything, her cheeks were turning red.

Sasuke slowly started inching towards her, and Hinata began to back away from him. She didn't stop until she felt the giant boulder lightly scratching at her back. Sasuke had her cornered and she could no longer make her legs work.

Hinata felt scared. She wasn't afraid of Sasuke though. Hinata was afraid of what she'd do.

Sasuke walked closer and stopped a little less than a foot from her. He didn't want her to feel anything that would make her pass out. As he reached towards her face with his hand, Hinata tensed up, and then relaxed when he drew back a lock of her long hair.

He let it slide between his fingers and fall back on her chest. Sasuke wanted to then see how close he could get to Hinata before he pushed her limit. How far would she let him go? So he inched even closer.

Hinata noticed this and brought her arms up to his chest to stop him. Sasuke lifted one of her arms up towards his face and made Hinata shiver with a small wave of pleasure; he had suckled a little on the inside of her wrist. Hinata 's eyes became wide at his boldness; it made her blush furiously.

When Sasuke brought his face back up, he smirked at Hinata for he knew exactly what he was doing. Hinata drew back her hand and pushed up against the boulder even more. Sasuke got closer still; Hinata once again put her hands on his chest to stop him, but found that all her strength had left her.

When Hinata kept her hands on Sasuke's chest, his heart pounded in his ears. The spots where she was touching him were getting hot from her touch. Something, else, was throbbing and Sasuke had to fight back the urge to plunge deep into Hinata. Still, he got even closer.

Hinata could feel the temperature rise, not only in her, but in their surroundings as well. The two were so close that their rising body temperatures had caused the water to get hot and the air become muggy. Hinata felt she might faint any second now, she needed to get out… but she didn't want to. Suddenly, she did something that surprised her and Sasuke.

Slowly and ever so softly, Hinata ran her hands down Sasuke's chest down to his abs. He gasped sharply and shook in pleasure. A small smile crept on Hinata's face from his reaction and she traced her fingertips back up to the base of his neck.

_Wha, what am I doing?'_ she thought, _But I can't seem to stop…'_

_I, I can't take anymore of this!'_ Sasuke inwardly screamed. He then very lightly, semi-slammed both his hands next to each side of Hinata's head causing her to flinch. Her hand though, was still lightly stroking the back of his neck.

Hinata slowly opened her eyes to find Sasuke's face mere centimeters from her own. His breathing was heavy and ragged like he had run a marathon. She could feel the warm breath brush her lips. Hinata looked deeply into his eyes to see if he planned on using her or if he really cared for her. What she saw shocked her.

In his eyes, Hinata saw need, longing, desire, but also hesitancy, unsureness, concern, and…

_Could,_ Hinata thought, _Do I, do I see, love?… In his gaze?_ At first she thought her eyes were beginning to deceive her, but to her surprise, she hoped. _But why? Why do I want it to be love?_ She questioned herself.

"Hinata…"

Hinata snapped out of her trance-like state and realized Sasuke was speaking.

Sasuke knew that Hinata was searching his eyes for deceit. But this did not bother him in the least. So Sasuke hid nothing from her purposefully. He wanted her to see that he desired her, but that there was more to it than that, that there was something there with deeper meaning. He wanted to crush her petite body into him, but he held back.

"Hinata… I," he began. Hinata's eyes kept wandering from his eyes to his lips. Her lips started to quiver in anticipation. The only way Sasuke could show her how much he felt wasn't through words; he would have to do it through his actions. Very, very slowly, his face crept closer to Hinata's. Right when his lips could hardly be considered touching hers, he stopped and pulled away.

"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata started, "What's wr"-- Sasuke put his hand over Hinata's mouth.

"Someone's coming…" he simply said, annoyance coating his voice. He then slowly removed his hand from Hinata's mouth.

Off in the distance, Hinata then heard the feint sound of someone's voice and…

_Barking?_ She confirmed with herself.

"Hey, Akamaru!" the two heirs heard, "Where are you going!" a slightly annoyed voice called out.

"Sasuke-kun, it's Kiba-kun, you should"—she turned to him only, he wasn't there. Suddenly the very large Akamaru jumped over the boulder and nearly landed on top of Hinata. He started to playfully bark.

"What was that, Akamaru? Who is it?" Kiba was nearly over the boulder. Hinata then remembered that she was still naked, so she answered instead.

"I-it's just me, Kiba-kun," she called to him. Kiba then stopped in confusion.

"Hinata?… What're you doing here?"

"Bathing," she quickly answered. Kiba started to blush.

"S-sorry Hinata, we'll leave you now," he shakily replied, "C'mon Akamaru." Akamaru then reluctantly went back to his master. Hinata used her Byakugan and watched the two until she was sure they were gone.

Hinata sighed and dragged her feet towards the bank. She hastily dried herself and put her clothes on. When she finished, she turned around and nearly ran into a fully clothed Sasuke. He didn't look at her at all. Hinata looked down at her feet.

"Sasuke-kun," she started, taking a step to stand next to him, both facing opposite directions, "Did that, d-did that whole sc-scene just happen?…" she looked up at him through the corner of her eye; he didn't show any emotion, "O-or was it a f-figment of m-m-my imagination?"

Without saying a word, Sasuke bent down a little and seductively kissed the pulse on Hinata's neck. She started feeling hot again. After a few seconds, he lifted his head and then disappeared.

Hinata still stood glued to the spot. She lifted her fingers and lightly touched the spot where he kissed her. He hadn't bit or sucked on her skin, so there wasn't a mark. But Hinata could still feel the softness of his lips on her wrist, her neck. Her heartbeat began to rise rapidly. She couldn't handle the heavy tension anymore. So Hinata semi-feinted to the ground thinking…

_I'm so confused… What just happened?_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

AN: Ahw, poor Hinata, she's so confused. It was hard to write this originally because I was still in class writing another assignment. I tried to have it where hardly any words were spoken, but their actions displayed their emotions. Sorry if it's really bad, this is my first time writing a "lime" if you can even call it that. I'll try and post the next chapter up as soon as I can, I was thinking about abandoning the story becuz of the major writer's block I was having, but I was able to sort it out… But I decided to continue the story , PLZ R&R, I really need the motivation, Ja ne!


	7. Chapter 7: Thinking of You

Chapter 7: Thinking of You 

Two days had passed since Sasuke had found Hinata at the river. During that time, Hinata didn't see Sasuke at all. It was as though he vanished off the face of the Earth.

Whenever she found the time, Hinata would walk through Konoha.

_I'm not looking for Sasuke-kun,_ she would tell herself, _If I happen to see him, then I'll go up to him._ The people in the streets began to wonder why the heiress seemed so down. Normally, she would be cheerful and kind. Now, they noticed that Hinata would hang her head slightly when she walked.

Hinata would go wherever her feet took her. She wasn't noticing where she going on the third day until she heard the sound of water. Hinata's feet had taken her back to the small stream with white phlox on the banks. Hinata smiled at the scene before her and sat down on the giant rock.

The birds were singing a soft tune and the water sounded so soothing. Hinata closed her eyes and listened to the small paradise around her. When she closed her eyes though, the image of Sasuke leaning in to kiss her entered her mind. She began to breathe heavy and shakily. She recalled all the times she was with Sasuke and her heart pounded against her ribs.

"Sasuke-kun…" she said softly. Her chest felt tight and pained her every time she would take a breath.

Out of nowhere, a sudden breeze caused Hinata to open her eyes. Lying at her feet, a small bouquet of white phlox was tied snuggly with a dark, blue ribbon. Hinata carefully picked up the bouquet and studied it. The flowers had just been cut off the ground in front of her. Whoever gave it to her moved so fast that Hinata didn't even notice the person's presence when they picked the flowers.

The corners of Hinata's mouth slowly rose. She inhaled the sweet fragrance and looked around her. The person who had given this to her obviously wanted her to cheer up and smile.

"Thank you… Sasuke-kun," she spoke aloud.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sasuke knew that he was purposefully avoiding Hinata during the past few days. He did this to let her cool down and take in what had happened at the river. He would watch her wander the streets aimlessly and made sure she didn't see or sense him.

It hurt him though how she was getting sad and that she was actually looking for him. Sometimes he felt like going up to her and wrapping his arms around her. But Sasuke wanted to give Hinata some space and time to get used to him acting like this.

At night, he would sneak into her room just to watch her sleep. Sasuke would sometimes caress her cheek or softly stroke her arm. Whenever he did, Hinata would unconsciously blush in her sleep and on one occasion, she whispered out his name. When he heard her, he lightly smirked and blushed.

"You don't know what you do to me, Hinata-hime," he whispered back to her. He then very softly, making sure not to wake her, kissed her affectionately on the cheek and then left.

On the third day, Sasuke came to the place where he found Hinata weeping. He took in the scenery for the first time. It was simple and breath taking.

_Just like her,_ he thought. Suddenly, he heard someone approaching the stream and Sasuke quickly hid in a nearby tree. He peered down to see who it was and saw Hinata.

The moment he spotted her, his mouth went dry and his pulse increased. Sasuke gazed lovingly at Hinata, then shook it off.

_I can't get distracted,_ he told himself. He looked at her and noticed that she had closed her eyes. Sasuke tilted his head. _What is she doing?_ he wondered… and then he saw her begin to blush.

"Sasuke-kun," he heard her say. To him, it sounded almost sad. His heart raced when he heard her call him.

_I'm gonna hate myself for this,_ he thought.

As quickly as he could, Sasuke: jumped down, raced over to her, picked a handful of phlox, tied them together, and then headed back in the tree. He did all this in less than one, flat second. Sasuke looked down to see Hinata's reaction and then smiled at his work.

Feeling he had nothing more to do, he silently jumped out and headed back toward Konoha.

"Thank you… Sasuke-kun," was what he heard. He stopped without turning around, smiled to himself, then kept walking.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Neji had just finished training when Hinata walked in. He could tell that something was different when she came in with a hint of blush on her cheeks and the subtle smile that was plastered on her face. He also noticed that there was something in her hand as well.

"What's that?" he asked her.

"Hhmmm? Oh, konnichi wa, Neji-niisan," she responded.

"That doesn't answer why you have a bouquet in your hand," he started. Neji walked over to Hinata who had now hung her head a little.

For the past five years, Hinata and Neji had gotten closer as cousins. During that time, Neji couldn't help but develop certain protectiveness over his younger cousin. He understood that one-day, men would be asking for Hinata's hand, and he loathed that day. He didn't necessarily love his cousin romantically, but he swore to always protect her, and the idea of someone else taking "his" position, it disturbed him, he felt useless.

"Hinata-sama, who gave those to you?" he asked blankly.

"Uh, I-I'm actually not qu-quite sure," she lied. Neji cocked one eyebrow and looked at her in disbelief.

"Well, you better find out who it is before I do," he stated before he left her.

Hinata watched Neji's retreating figure with guilt before walking back to her room. She placed the small bouquet in a vase and set it down next to her window. For a few moments, she stared dreamily at it, but then shook the thought.

_I've never received a present like this before,_ she thought, _What makes me so sure it was Sasuk_e_-kun? Maybe I just want it to be him, but why? Why do I want it to be him?_ Every time Hinata thought of how Sasuke felt about her and she him, she would get confused and even more puzzled. While she was busy contemplating on her troubling thoughts, she heard a knock at the door.

"M-yes?" Hinata answered after a few seconds.

"Hinata-sama, your father would like to have a word with you," a servant replied back without opening the door, "and he request that you wear your formal attire."

_What could Tou-san want to say to me? And why do I have to wear a kimono?_ She thought. "Alright. When is my presence needed?"

"He said as soon as possible and no more than half an hour," was the answer.

"Okay, you may go now," she answered politely. Hinata could hear the sound of footsteps grow further until there was no sound.

_Great, now what am I in for? Has Tou-san finally decided to disown me?_ All of these thoughts ran through Hinata's as she pulled out a box from beneath her bed. She opened the top and removed the paper, which wrapped her kimono. After removing the kimono from the box, she held it at her shoulders and looked into the mirror at her reflection.

_I guess I'll use Kaa-san's favorite kimono, she used to say that she'd give it to me when I turned sixteen… That day has passed, so I guess she won't mind if I wear it now,_ Hinata recalled as she thought of her deceased mother.

The inner layer was thin, white silk with the outline of butterflies embroidered in it. The outer layer was truly breathtaking. It was a deep, navy-blue color that matched her hair and had magnolia blossoms printed as its design. The obi was pearl colored and reached from under her breasts to her hips, so the kimono flattered her matured body.

Hinata stared at her reflection and saw how much she resembled her late mother. She decided to keep her long hair down seeing that this way, she truly looked like her mother. After a few moments of preparing herself to what was to come, Hinata stepped out of her room and headed towards her father's private "office."

Before Hinata could politely knock on the door, her father's voice called out from within the room.

"You may enter," he said sternly. Hinata obeyed and slid open the door.

When Hinata entered the room, Hiashi could have sworn he was seeing the spirit of his late wife walking into the room and bowing low in front of him. He was surprised that he had never noticed how much Hinata reminded him of his wife; she was as gentle and kind-hearted and innocent.

"You're wearing your mother's kimono," he stated dryly rather than asked.

"Hai," she responded quietly.

The next few moments were spent in silence and deep tension. Hinata began to clench her fists every few seconds. She knew better than to openly speak and question her father. Better than to meet the gaze of her father. The needles from his intense gaze made her squirm inside. She longed for him to speak so she could get this private meeting over and done with.

An emotionless expression was plastered upon Hiashi's face. He was reflecting on the last meeting he had with the council.

FLASHBACK 

"Hiashi-sama, you must decide about Hinata-sama's fate!"

"She's not ready yet! Give her a little more time!" Hiashi argued. The council had decided to make a last minute conference on Hinata's fate: whether she should remain heiress, or if she was to be exiled from the Hyuuga Household.

"Hiashi-sama, we need an heir that will keep our blood limit safe and that will ensure the future of the Hyuuga."

"Hinata-sama is not fit to be our heir. She is too weak willed."

"You cannot deny her progress! She has improved beyond any expectation we have held for her!" he brought to her defense.

"True, Hinata-sama has become much stronger over the past few years."

"And Hanabi-sama has been stronger the entire time."

"The point is that we are running out of time. We need to declare whether or not we will keep Hinata-sama as our heir by her eighteenth birthday, that's less than half a year from now."

"Hiashi-sama, you must decide whether you will cast aside your first-born and make Hanabi-sama our new heir or if you will put the lives of the Hyuuga clan into the incapable hands of Hinata-sama!"

Hiashi was at such a lost on what to do. He did have much more faith within Hanabi than Hinata and knew that she would become a strong leader someday. But he also was a traditionalist and cared for Hinata. He noticed how hard she was trying to please him and the rest of the clan and how much stronger she had gotten since the chunnin five years ago.

"Hiashi-sama."

His head snapped back up.

"If we do not see immediate improvement from Hinata-sama by her eighteenth birthday, her fate will be out of your hands and we will decide what will become of her then."

END OF FLASHBACK 

"A-anou, Tou-san?"

Hiashi found himself back within the room and having two very concerned pearl eyes glancing at him every few seconds.

_She's so fragile, _he thought as he observed his daughter, _I know that it will be difficult for her, but I know that she can make a fine leader. They detest her because she is different from any of our previous leaders. Hinata's is strong in her own way. She has the ability to make the changes that the Hyuuga so desperately need. She is too weak right now, she needs to get stronger._

"Weak."

"Huh?" Hinata staggered out.

"Hinata, you are too weak," her father stated as a matter-of-factly.

"B-but Tou-san, wh-what're y-you saying?" Hinata worked so hard to not stutter in front of her father.

"Why couldn't you be stronger? Why must you be so weak?"

Hinata was struggling to keep her tears to herself. Choking in every tear, every whimper. Daily attacks on her from her father were nothing new, but this time it really hit her hard.

"Being as weak as you are just makes things harder on you. Hinata, to the Hyuugas eyes, you are a failure."

"D- doushite, Tou-san"—Hinata was trembling at this point. Her voice was shaky and cracked while she spoke.

"You have until your eighteenth birthday to train to defeat whoever the council chooses for you then. This is your last chance. Hinata, if you fail this time, I will have no choice but to hand over your fate to the council, for them to decide what will become of you."

Hiashi saw the cold tears of his daughter hit the hard floor. He knew his words were cruel and heartless, but he felt he had no choice. Every time he would speak to his daughter, the words would come out wrong. But this time, she needed to know the severity of her position.

Hinata couldn't believe what she was hearing. The past years were tough, but she had managed to get a compliment or two from her father on her progress. Now, he shot them all down. She had been trying so hard, and it seemed like he didn't care.

"You may leave now," he said quietly, lowering his gaze a little.

Hinata could hear her father say something to her, that she could leave now, or something like that, but the world around her appeared blurry and all sounds seemed muffled. Her legs felt numb and jelly-like; she just could not get them to work. And then suddenly, reality came crashing down again. Hinata made a small bow to her father before getting up and rushing to the door. She no longer cared about the rudeness in her actions; she needed to get out of this prison, this place that loathed her presence.

Hinata ran. Ran into the night. Ran from her duties, from her family, from her fate nipping at her heels. And she fled as if nothing else mattered.

_I, I need someone… I need someone right now! _she thought urgently,_ Someone to hold me close! To tell me that everything is going to be all right!…_ Her tears flew by her as she continued running. Only one person entered mind then, _…Sasuke-kun!_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

AN: OMG, I must have rewritten this chapter a million times and I still hate it! GAWD,I know, it's really, sneezingly fluffy!This chapter was the reason why I wanted to abandon the story in the first place because I didn't know how to make it sound right, and I still think it sux . Anyway, I'm so terribly sorry if you think this chapter is horrible, just think of it as a speed bump. I pretty much have the rest of the story figured out. Oh, and the whole flashback thing is between the entire council and Hiashi, I didn't want to specify names and saying like "said the old man/woman" so, yea. School starts in two weeks and I have soccer to do, so the next chapters will update real slow, SORRY! I wont have that much time anymore, so please be patient. Your reviews really inspried me to continue. I love you all. R&R, ja ne!


	8. Chapter 8: I'll Always Be Here, for You

I am so sorry for taking forever to update. It has been, what? A little over two months? Sumimasen!!! I've had sports and school and typical opposite gender drama…. So, um, yea. So I tried making this chapter a little longer than the rest.

**WARNING!!!:** This chapter will contain a lot of OCness on everybody's part. So please, bear with it! If it seems really rocky, it's because I made a scene very similar to this first scene previously to a personal story of mine, and so obviously, I had to change the names, add/delete some dialogue, and so forth, so, um, yea. Hope you like it (crosses fingers). I would really appreciate some help and advice for scenes like these, so I am utterly open to suggestions like this, including flames, but please, be gentle and make it constructive. Anyway, onward toward the story 

Chapter 8: I'll Always Be Here, for You 

The Sakura trees that grew just outside of Konoha were now in full bloom. The petals occasionally falling when the wind blew. A full moon was shining brightly above the village, lightly drowning out the soft light from the stars. Gentle breezes weaved its way between the trees. The world was asleep along with everyone in it. "Tranquil" was the only word that could fully describe nin village. Which was probably the reason why Sasuke was walking in the outskirts of town near the Sakura trees since he much preferred Konoha at night than during the day.

Sasuke often found himself in this part of the village when he would have nightmares filled with his brother, Itachi. Tonight, though, he had given up trying to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, thoughts of Hinata haunted every corner of his dreams. He much enjoyed walking here, at night, where no rabid fangirls would jump him.

As he was walking contently through the field, a person's figure within the field caught his eye. Sasuke then jumped behind a nearby tree. The person then walked deep into the forest with Sasuke following not far behind. The person then stopped in the middle of a clearing, Sasuke was behind a tree about three yards away. A passing cloud then blocked out the moon making it dark.

_Who could be out this late?_ Sasuke wondered, _It's 1:00 in the morning!_ He eyed the person suspiciously, pulling out a kunai, _It doesn't matter who it is because they shouldn't be walking around in the middle of the night unless they're up to something_ (something tells me he shouldn't be talking) Whoever the person was, they were quickly agitating one of the most powerful shinobi of Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke.

He was just about to lunge at the person when the passing cloud finally cleared letting the moon once again shine brightly to reveal the person. Sasuke literally stopped himself in mid-flight with his eyes wide with shock.

_What could she be doing here at this time of night_ (like he's one to talk) He asked himself. He then quickly concealed his chakra and remained hidden behind the tree.

There before him was Hinata. As he observed her form more closely, he noticed that she was wearing a kimono. At the sight of her, it took his breath away and made his heart pound at a furious pace.

_She looks so beautiful and elegant in that kimono,_ he thought blushing slightly. While watching her, Sasuke found that in many ways, Hinata reminded him of his late mother; she was a mature and caring woman. He was about to go up to her when then he suddenly stopped. _She probably wants to be alone since she came out this late,_ he thought. Sasuke took one last glance at his angel before he started to turn and walk away. But then in mid-step, he stopped abruptly. He squinted his eyes to get a better look at what he saw to determine he was seeing things straight. There was no doubt about it; Sasuke saw tears running down Hinata's porcelain cheeks.

Cold, wet tears were streaming down Hinata's pale face. She made no gesture signifying her tears; however with a simple glance, one could tell she was deeply hurt. A subtle breeze lightly swept her hair, which brushed her face. During the entire time, she could faintly feel Sasuke's presence, yet she did not, could not, move as much as she wanted to. Hinata let her tears fall freely like the Sakura falling around her.

It broke his heart, seeing her silently weep like this. He wanted to help her anyway he could, but this time, he felt so powerless to do anything.

Hinata began to wonder how long he would stare at her like this and humiliate her. She longed for his departure so that he would not see her in such a vulnerable state, and yet… she wanted nothing more than to have his arms wrap around her and rock her gently. She trembled as she felt that she was under his eyes' mercy.

"Hinata…" Sasuke said softly, stepping out from behind the tree.

Her eyes half-lidded with embarrassment and sorrow, she turned her back to him and felt his eyes pierce her back.

Sasuke frowned slightly at her gesture. It annoyed and hurt him a little. With one swift move, he stood in front of her deliberately just so he could face her. She didn't let out a sound or movement of any kind.

"Hinata," he repeated, "Why are you crying?" he said, his voice full of concern.

Hinata felt so weak and pathetic, so she did not respond.

He tried to bend down and look at her directly, but she simply lowered her head more, shielding her eyes with her bangs, not permitting him to see her tears, to see her and all her weaknesses.

Once again, Sasuke felt the strong urge to crush her into him and tell her everything would be okay, but he had promised himself that he would give Hinata space and time away from him to… he couldn't even remember the reason why. He stood there silently debating what he could do to get her to stop crying.

For what seemed like an eternity, both stood there facing each other silently. It wasn't until Hinata broke the silence.

"Please, Sasuke-kun," she murmured, barely audible above a whisper, "Please, just, leave me alone… please go away." Hinata's voice had seemed to take over and say the one thing she did NOT want to say. _No, please, Sasuke-kun, don't leave me alone, I need you! I'm so frightened; I don't want to be alone anymore, please! Stay with me!!! Don't go! Please, Sasuke-kun… I, I need you._

Sasuke's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way he could leave her now, no matter how much her words hurt him. Her trembling voice and hesitancy to say those words told him otherwise that she was lying terribly.

Hesitantly, he reached out his hand to touch her cheek, but when his hand was less than a centimeter away, she flinched away from him.

"Why?" he asked, voice full of hurt, hurt for her, "What're you so afraid of? What do you have to hide?" _Why are you hiding from me?_ Sasuke searched her form with his eyes for any kind of response; none came, and it saddened him. "Don't be afraid, Hinata. I'm here now, it'll… everything will be fine now," he whispered softly, trying to soothe her the best he could, "So please, don't cry anymore… I, I can't stand seeing you hurt like this," he said, wiping a tear off her cheek with his hand, and this time, she did not flinch. Sasuke felt Hinata softened to his touch as he cupped her cheek with that hand. "Please, don't be ashamed to look at me," he tried coaxing her. When Hinata made no movement, he sighed and began to pull his hand away… but Sasuke didn't get far.

Hinata screamed at her body to move, but she felt so numb. Her father's words cut her so deeply, to the point where she doubted she could do anything without feeling completely lousy and useless. Hinata felt cold again, just like she did at the stream a few weeks ago. Her voice was gone and she couldn't move, only let the cold take her. Yet when she felt the warmth of Sasuke's hand touch her cheek, she felt life returning to her again slowly. It was as if he was giving her his strength, his warmth. And when she felt his hand move away, Hinata began to panic. It was if his hand was her last lifeline, so, out of desperation, Hinata forced herself with ever fiber in her being to reach out to her lifeline.

Before Sasuke could completely remove his hand, Hinata gripped his hand softly and brought it back up to her cheek as she slowly lifted her head. That's when pearl met onyx. Cold tears of fear were now streaming down her snow-white face. Fear filmed her eyes. She was scared, scared that he'd leave her, scared that she would be forever alone and remain cold. Her small hand tightly squeezed his and motioned his to caress her cool, smooth cheek. Hinata did not stop until she felt him move his own hand to do it itself. Hinata could no longer mask her tears from him. She was weeping openly now to his touch, making every sob, every wail, every sigh of relief her body ached to let out.

They both merely stood there: Hinata weeping, Sasuke comforting. The minutes ticked away slowly until her cries were no more than small whimpers.

Once again he cupped her face with his one hand, and slowly brought his face towards hers. Sasuke could feel her erratic breaths brush his lips and he knew she could feel his warm breath on hers, for Hinata began to hush down even more rapidly. That's when he leaned down and kissed her ever so softly on the lips.

To both, the sensation was new, soft and sweet. It lasted for only a couple of seconds, but to them, it felt like a lifetime. Sasuke had done it; he had taken Hinata's first kiss, the kiss she had originally saved for Naruto, the kiss that she now had no problem offering to Sasuke. He then pulled away a bit letting her decide what she wanted.

Hinata placed her hand on his jaw line and firmly, slowly, pulled Sasuke back for another kiss. But this one was much different from the previous one. It held more passion and both were fighting for dominance. Both teens poured their desire, their longing, needing, wanting, their warmth into the kiss, but more than anything, their love and complete commitment to none but each other.

The chilly wind blew the descending Sakura all around them. Yet neither noticed; they had a fire burning deep within them, igniting with every touch. Sasuke pulled her to him and held her as close as he could. They reluctantly broke the kiss to breathe, both panting heavily.

A bright twinge a red was on Hinata's cheeks as she melted into his arms and clung to him tightly. She closed her eyes and a small smile crept on her face as she felt his arms wrap securely around her trembling body.

Sasuke lifted her chin a little and gently kissed her forehead.

Hinata listened intently to the sound of his beating heart.

Neither spoke, both fearing that this was merely a dream. Hinata needed to know if it was real, to know that she was no longer alone in her frigid darkness.

"Please," she had managed to whisper, "please, always be with me. D-don't leave m-me." _I don't want to be with anyone but you. There's only you, Sasuke-kun, only you._ She told that to herself and to him with all her heart. Sasuke simply nodded and brought her closer to him as he whispered in her ear.

"I've always been here, and I always will: to catch you when you fall, and to hold you when you're hurt. I'll always be here, for you, Hinata," he promised, hoping his words would reach her heart.

She nodded into his shoulder and then drifted off into a deep sleep. But before slumber could claim her, Hinata noticed that she never felt safer than here, in Uchiha Sasuke's embrace.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Angry, white eyes closed themselves and reopened with defeat. The Hyuuga slowly turned around and began to head off to the compound once the Uchiha carefully lifted the sleeping heiress in his arms and left for his own home.

Neji dragged his feet back slightly as he made his way to the Hyuuga estate. His eyes were dull and in deep thought.

_So, it seems that my position as Hinata-sama's protector has been given over to the Uchiha, huh?_ He thought, a saddened smirk arose on his lips. As he neared the door, it opened to reveal an emotionless Hiashi.

"So, Neji, how is she?" he asked, trying to mask his worry for his eldest daughter. Instead of bowing respectfully towards the head, Neji kept walking past him, his head hung low.

"Hinata-sama is fine. She was wandering about for a few hours until she…" Neji stopped talking for a moment and reflected upon what he saw.

"Continue."

"Until she was comforted by a friend and decided to stay over at their home for the night. I shall pick her up tomorrow morning," and with that, Neji began to head towards his room. He hoped that Hiashi would not ask him whom it was that Hinata was staying with. Neji didn't want her there with Sasuke, but he knew she did, and if Hiashi asked who it was, Neji would have no choice but to answer truthfully and hurt Hinata more than she already was. Thankfully, he did not ask, and Neji made it safely to his room without any further questions.

_I'm going to have a talk with that Uchiha myself,_ he thought as he lay down on his futon.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_Huh? Wha, what happened?_ Hinata thought lazily as she began to awaken. She felt warm, and she could feel a soft pillow beneath her head. _Wait a second… Was I not outside?_ Eyes as white as snow slowly opened themselves from slumber as Hinata sat up hesitantly. She began to scan the room and found that she was placed snuggly on a bed and then saw a red and white fan painted on the wall.

_I must be in Sasuke-kun's house again, demo,_ she thought as she looked around the room more carefully. Outside the nearby window, the night still leaked into the dark room. _Where's Sasuke-kun?_

A subtle grunt was her answer and snapped Hinata from her thoughts. She leaned over the bed and saw Sasuke sleeping on the floor next to the bed. He was without a blanket and only had a pillow.

Hinata began to blush a little. _I never thought I'd be able to see him asleep again, _she thought. But as she looked at him upon closer inspection, she saw that it looked like he was not having such a great night. Sweat began to collect on Sasuke's brow and he was panting heavily as he tossed and turned on the floor.

_I wonder if he's having a nightmare?_ Hinata thought as she got off the bed and sat by his side with a worried look on her face.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" she whispered to him, "Sasuke-kun, are you alright?"

"…"

"Sasuke-kun?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

DREAM SEQUENCE 

"Nii-san?!" shouted an eight-year-old Sasuke. "Doushite? Why did you kill Kaa-san and Tou-san?!"

A dark figure began to draw closer to Sasuke as it pulled a kunai from a woman's dead body. Sasuke's eyes grew wide with fear as he tried to back away but discovered that he was cornered against a wall.

"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun? Are you afraid?" the figure said with a voice that sent chills down Sasuke's back. Sasuke turned around to run but the person threw the kunai and pinned his shirt to the wall behind him. "Where do you think you're going, otooto-kun?"

"S-stay back! I don't want to die!" the child screamed out and closed his eyes. The man leaned down and whispered in his ear.

"Fine then, little brother."

"Huh?" Sasuke opened one of his eyes hesitantly and the man disappeared along with the kunai and his parents' corpses. Everything went dark again. No light, no warmth, nothing remained. Sasuke was all alone. The small child clutched his head and began to shake uncontrollably from his growing fear.

"Sasuke-kun?" a cheerful voice called out to him.

He recognized that voice immediately and turned around towards the feminine voice. As he looked at the woman, Sasuke's eyes widened with surprise and a soft glow seemed to come from her. There, not too far from Sasuke, was his mother, alive and smiling brightly.

"Kaa-san," he managed to say. "Kaa-san!" he yelled as he ran out towards her. Mikoto (his mother's name) bent down and caught her child in her arms and held him close.

"Neh, Sasuke-kun, what's wrong? Did you hurt yourself during training again?" she softly giggled out. A small tear fell from Sasuke's eyes as his mother held him tightly.

"Th-then it's my t-turn, Sasuke-kun," a different voice came from the person Sasuke was gripping onto (it's still in his dream, the person just, er, transformed?). He lifted his head up and his eyes met gentle, white eyes gazing softly back at him. Sasuke was once again seventeen and stood a good seven inches taller than the Hyuuga.

"Hinata!" he murmured in surprise. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his body and held her head to his chest.

"N-now it's my t-turn to hold you, Sasuke-kun," she whispered soothingly. He stood there, dumbfounded for a few seconds before he desperately returned her embrace, shaking with dry sobs.

"Hinata!"

END OF DREAM SEQUENCE 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

As Sasuke was having his nightmare, Hinata began to grow worried for the young Uchiha. She used the sleeve of her kimono to wipe the cold sweat from his brow. Sure, it was her mother's, but she figured her mother would have done the same. Hinata frowned slightly as he continued to breathe heavily and groan every now and then.

_What can I do?_ She questioned herself, _ What can I do to help him?_

"Nnhhh," he choked out, "Doushite, nii-san?"

_Sasuke-kun,_ a sad expression arose onto Hinata's face.

Slowly, in an attempt to not wake him, Hinata lay next to Sasuke. She scooted up to him as much as she could while he turned to face her, still asleep. Carefully, she wrapped her arms around his trembling body and pressed her head firmly to his chest, holding him steady in a tight embrace.

"N-now it's my t-turn to hold you, Sasuke-kun," she whispered softly. Hinata soothingly stroked his back to get him to calm down. After a few moments, he ceased shaking and unconsciously wrapped his arms around her waist.

The two then fell into a dreamless sleep, both within the embrace of the other.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_What a weird dream,_ Sasuke thought as he began to awaken, _And then Hinata was in it. Weird._ His eyes began to adjust to the dimly lit room. As he lay on his side, Sasuke started to recognize his own house. _I wonder if Hinata's still asleep. Guess I better check up on her,_ he thought as he struggled to move. _Why can't I get up?_ He noticed when he realized something was holding him down.

As Sasuke glanced down to see what was weighing him down, he noticed a lump beside him that was steadily breathing beneath a blanket covering him. He cautiously pulled back the cover and saw a fast-asleep Hinata clinging to his body.

Her arms wrapped around his back and kept her pressed firmly against his chest. Hinata's head was tucked beneath Sasuke's chin and their legs were in a tangled heap.

Had it been any other person, Sasuke would have pushed them away coldly and take the blanket for himself. But having that it was Hinata, he strained to keep himself under control for being so close to her. Her soft, warm breath was lightly tickling his neck while the rest of her body was extremely close to his. He could hardly tell where her body ended and where his began. That, and the fact that one of her legs kept pressing against his soon-to-be pulsing member.

Sasuke took a deep breath and tried to keep himself in check. But it was difficult. She was driving him insane; doing the things she did not even realize she was doing to him. The only thing keeping his perverted mind out of the gutter was her innocent expression. Here she was: soundly sleeping like a child while he was ready to take her.

Sasuke saw himself as warped and that he would taint Hinata: this innocent angel. Thinking about all the things he could do to her, he felt twisted and sick. He was so disgusted with himself. He did not deserve someone like her. He did not deserve to be in love with someone as caring and sweet as her. Yet he was. He wanted her. He needed her. He loved her, so much, that he was afraid to touch her, to dirty her. Sasuke was so hopeless.

With his troubling thoughts clouding his mind, Sasuke turned his head to check the time. The clock read 7:30am. He sighed and gently swept a strand of hair out of Hinata's face and then stroked her cheek softly.

She stirred slightly before letting out a small groan signaling she was awake.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered.

"Yea?" he answered. Her eyes then shot open, as she was now fully awake. Red with embarrassment, she let go of her hold on him and sat up. Sasuke lazily looked up at her with half-lidded eyes.

"Uh, ano, I was… W-what I w-was doing was, uh…" she trailed off looking at a random wall. _How do I tell him about last night? I mean, waking up and seeing me right there… Oh, I'm so embarrassed._

"Thank you."

"Huh?" Hinata blurted out, breaking her train of thought.

Sasuke scratched his head and looked off into another direction, a hint of red staining his cheeks. "Whatever you did for me last night, uh, thanks," he muttered awkwardly. _Great, she probably has no idea what I'm talking about. I sound like an idiot!_

A warm smile began to rise on Hinata's face as Sasuke glanced at her once again. She just seemed to glow and he felt his heart swell. Without even noticing, the distance between both was closing up, fast. Just as Sasuke was about to capture Hinata's pink lips, a loud knock came from the door.

"Go away!" Sasuke growled lowly. He tried one more time to kiss her when the person at the door just pounded even hard, almost deliberately. Ignoring it still, he kept inching closer.

"Um," he heard her say, "shouldn't you get that?"

Sasuke let out a defeated sigh and nodded his head. He groggily made his way towards the door, ready to pounce on whoever was interrupting his time with Hinata. He heard her steps trod softly behind him, making sure not to be seen by the person at the door. It was too awkward of a scene, especially if it was someone from the Rookie 9.

"What do you want!" he said harshly as he threw open the door.

The last thing the Uchiha remembered after that was a pair of very angry Byakugan eyes glaring at him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

AN: Wow, good times, good times. Left you in a little bit of suspense there. So, yea… if I don't update in a long time, please don't be surprised. I'll try to update before Christmas, hopefully… Aaw runs awaydon't spear me!!! Anyways please, PLEASE….. R&R, ja ne!


	9. Announcement

Attention all "Someone To Hold" readers:

It brings me deep sorrow to announce that --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ that I'll be on hold for this story… ha. Bet you thought I was going to say I was gonna cancel it, didn't you? Well, no… because I have lotsa people reading it and it would break my heart to break yours.

So basically, this message is to tell you that I won't be updating until my school year ends… which is like… june 1st, I think… so…

I'm so terribly sorry…. (screams&runs) I'm sorry I'm sorry!!!


End file.
